The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
LOST AND FOUND.


out in the town, and never saved thing
but the clothes we stood in and my
team. Then VIC started again out on
the edge of everything, where land was
cheap, and it looked as if hard work
might count for something. That time
the Indians ran us off; they killed one
of the children therc-thc girl, five
years old; shot her in full sight of the
cabin, and Molly hasn't got over it to
this day. l picked up few head of
cattle cheap that fall, and for a year we
lived in wagon, camping and driving
our cattle across the ranges. That year
the boy died-snakc- We got into
cabin next fall. Four of us, each
poorer than the others, took section Of
Government land We had our teams
and our health, and we were down to
bedrock; not much of anything to lose
and everything to gain. We built in
the middle on the adjoining corners of
our quarters, and so had a little settle
ment of our own.
1t really began to look as if we had
touched bottom. That next spring VIC got
our crops in-corn laid by, rain and sun
shine and hot weather all right, and now
and then we would hear a laugh from
the cabin. But the day the grasshop-
pers came there was mighty little laugh
ing done. Clayton came in where l was
taking my noon smoke and dropped
down in chair by the door, as if he
couldn't get any further. "Mountain-
eersr' he said, with kind of gasp.
"What2" l asked, not knowing but it
was another kind of Indian. "Grass-
hoppers" 1t seems he had been there
before. In "a hours there was not a
green thing in all those parts.
We held council of war. The end
of it was that VIC drove our stock into
the town next day, so miles, and sold it.
1t didn't make us rich, but at least we
got the price of the hides.
Then three of us went to work in
the coal shippings. The coal company
petered out just as the cold weather sci
in. We took back big load of coal; il
was the only pay we ever got for our last
fortnight's work.
Along in November late we started out
on buffalo hunt. There was enough tc
eat, such as it was, for month in the
cabins, and fuel enough to keep them
warm; and by that time we thought
work might begin again Anyway, we'd
have our meat for the rest of the winter
Well it's no use to go over that. II
wasn't pleasure trip. We weren't ou
for the fun of killing. We campcd ou
at night, and rode and shot and dressed
game by day, and did not starve no
quite freeze to death; and we got bach
again on to the plains along in December
| l wanted to push through and ge
home, but the horses were played out
and all next day, after we struck tn,
level, we just crawled along. That nigh
we went into camp ten miles from home
There was ravine and plenty of brush
and the horses were ready to drop in thei
tracks, and that last ten miles was one o
the things that couldn't be done. So w
got our fires made and our horses fec
and sheltered as well as we could, ant
put some heart into ourselves with buf
falo steak and hot coffee; and the res
of them packed themselves into tn
wagon.
Some one had to stand guard and kec1
the fires going, and l took the contract
After time, somebody hailed over tn
top of the bluff.
"What camps that2"
"Kenyon and mates"
81 lowed it was"--scrambling dow
the side of the gulch on his sure-foote
mule-"Y "You, Kenyonl News for you
A kid up to your rancho, ten days old
All hands doing well yesterday morr
ing"
Then / sat and thought awhile, an
finally reused out Madison.
''You take my turn" l said to hin
'Tm going home"
"Not brute that will travel"
'Tll do my own travelling afoot."
, "You'll pass in your checks befol
. morning"
/ mo, the wind is at my back; n
= fords. I'll keep going" l went.
= Perhaps you never tried crossing
: prairie at night without trail to follow
It's curious thing, one cannot accour
for; one that makes you feel as if yo,
I. body and all your senses were of no mo-